 | CONFEDERATE GENERALS | Jump to Union Generals |
 | JEFFERSON DAVIS (1808-1889) Born and raised in Kentucky, sent to West Point in 1824 by special orders from president Monroe, graduated West point 1828. Fought in Indian Wars, retired from army, and served in Congress until the Mexican War. After Mexican War, Davis served in the Senate and finally the Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce. With the succession of Mississippi in 1861, Davis was nominated to the position of State President, and finally granted presidency of the entire Confederacy. Davis served until the end of the Civil War, and was captured and imprisoned in 1865 but released on bail two years later. |
 | ROBERT E. LEE (1807-1870) Graduated 2nd in the class of 1829 from West Point. Served under General Winfield Scott during the Mexican War and served as superintendent of West point after the war. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Lee was offered command of the entire Union Army, which he rejected stating that he couldn't fight against his home state of Virginia. Instead, Lee took over command of the Virginian forces and was promoted to Brigadier General. Taking over the Confederate army after its initial commander was wounded, Lee began a campaign which would eventually drive McClellan's Union Army out of Virginia. Lee won decisive victories in the 2nd Bull Run, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville and was promoted to Four-Star General. Lee reached the turning point of the war in the Battle of Gettysburg, in which he was forced to retreat. Taking full responsibility, His offer to resign was rejected by Jefferson Davis. Lee surrendered to grant in Appomattox two years later and retired to serve as president of Washington College after the war. Died in 1870 of heart disease, the most beloved and respected general in American history. |
 | THOMAS "STONEWALL" JACKSON (1824-1863) Graduated West Point in 1846. Served with artillery unit under General Winfield Scott in the Mexican War. Brigade commander at the outbreak of the war, earned his nickname and reputation at the first battle of Manassas when his line refused to break against overwhelming numbers of Union forces. Promoted to Brigadier, then Major General in 1861, Jackson was given command of the Confederate troops in the Shenandoah Valley. In 1862 he won a series of decisive victories against McClellan in the Valley of Virginia. That spring, he reinforced Lee at Antietam and was promoted to Lieutenant General thereafter. Jackson was present at the Confederate victories in Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. At Chancellorsville he was accidentally shot by his own men and died of Pneumonia a week later. Lee remarked "I have lost my right arm". |
 | JOSEPH JOHNSTON (1807-1891) Graduated with Robert E. Lee from West Point in 1829. Transferred from Union army in 1861 to join Davis' Confederate forces. One of the five Confederate leaders to be promoted to the rank of Four-Star General. Johnston led the army of North Virginia in Manassas. In the defense of Richmond against McClellan, Johnston was wounded and ceded command to Lee. He later commented "The shot that struck me down was the best ever fired for the Confederacy, for I possessed in no degree the confidence of the government, and now a man who does enjoy it will succeed me and be able to accomplish what I never could". Johnston took over the Army of Tennessee but was crushed and outnumbered by Sherman's march to sea. Johnston caught pneumonia while standing in the rain at Sherman's funeral in 1891 and died soon afterwards. |
 | JAMES LONGSTREET (1821-1904) Graduated West Point 1842. Served under General and future President Zachary Taylor in the Mexican War. Was transferred under the command of General Winfield Scott and served side by side with future Confederate general George Pickett. Was promoted from the rank of Major to Brigadier General in the outbreak of the Civil War. Fought in the first battle of Manassas as well as the second. Was entrusted with half of the army of North Virginia by Lee and recommended to the rank of Lieutenant General later that year. Received command of I Corps and helped defeat the Union in Fredericksburg. Longstreet pleaded with Lee to cancel the offensive at Gettysburg, but Lee ignored him and suffered a crushing defeat. Longstreet was injured during the battle of the Wilderness and when he returned to service the war was reaching a close. After the war he joined the Republican Party and served as a diplomat under three presidents. He retired in 1889 to write his memoirs. |
 | AMBROSE P. HILL (1825-1865) Graduated West Point 1847, 15th in his class. Left the U.S. Army with the rank of Lieutenant to join the Confederacy. Received his own division and promoted to Brigadier General. Fought in the 1st and 2nd Bull Run. Hill was present in Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. Fought under the command of Stonewall Jackson until his death in 1862. Promoted to Lieutenant General and given command of the Confederate III Corps. Was present in Gettysburg, the Battles of the Wilderness and the Siege of Petersburg. Hill was shot and killed on April 2nd 1865, just 7 days before the war ended. |
 | JAMES EWELL BROWN STUART (1827-1864) Graduated West Point 1854. Participated in the Indian Wars and served with Lee in the U.S. Army. Resigned his commission in 1861 and joined the Confederate cavalry. Rose through the ranks for his services at the 1st Bull Run, 2nd Manassas, and Antietam. Was injured at Chancellorsville, but granted command of the Confederate Cavalry in his return. Stuart rode behind the Union lines at Gettysburg and was cut off from Confederate communication, resulting in Lee's "blind battle" and severe defeat. Died in defense of Richmond in May 1864, the most respected and successful cavalry commander in U.S. history. Lee commented, "He never brought me a piece of false information, I can scarcely think of him without weeping." |
 | RICHARD STODDERT EWELL (1817-1872) Graduated West Point 1840. Joined the Confederacy in 1861 and granted a division on the command of Stonewall Jackson. Fought in the 1st and 2nd Bull Run but was injured in the 2nd Bull Run. Returned to service in 1863 and assumed command of Jackson's forces following his death. Lacked the aggressiveness shown by Jackson and failed to drive back Union Forces in Gettysburg, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania. Resigned command due to illness and was assigned to a garrison in Richmond upon recovery. Was captured by Union forces near Richmond the day before Lee's surrender at Appomattox. |
 | GEORGE PICKETT (1825-1875) Graduated West Point 1846. Fought in the Indian Wars and the Mexican War. Pickett rose to the rank of Captain before resigning his commission in 1861 to join the Confederacy. Was wounded at the battle of Gaines' Mill. Returning shortly after the battle of Antietam, Pickett was given his own division. Served under his former comrade James Longstreet at Fredericksburg and Gettysburg, where he was immortalized in the famous "Pickett's Charge". Left without a division, Pickett served with Lee in Cold Harbor and Petersburg. At the battle of the Five Forks, Pickett was participating in a picnic with a cavalry commander. His forces, lacking command and leadership, collapsed under the assault launched by Grant. Pickett was relieved of his command by Lee on April 6th 1865, a day before the surrender at Appomattox. |